get old-school with roots singer-songwriter valerie june’s new single “workin’ woman blues.” #soundcheck

Born and bred in rural Tennessee, singer-songwriter Valerie June makes the kind of roots music that might as well come with a mason jar of moonshine. It’s a laid-back easy folk-blues laced with a hint of soul courtesy of producer Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys), among others. Her latest single is the smokey “Workin’ Woman Blues”, produced by Peter Sabak in Budapest, Hungary. (we featured the video a while ago, but she just made the track available for download)

“Workin’ Woman Blues” evokes classic sounds while somehow still sounding new. It’s a powerful alchemy; transforming minimal guitars to maximal soul. “I ain’t fit to be no mother / I ain’t fit to be no wife yet / I been workin’ like a man, y’all / I been workin’ all my life.” Valerie sings with a slight country twang while her backing band builds behind her with a subtle intensity. If “fall in the mountains” were a genre of music, it would probably sound like this.
Her debut full length Pushing Against A Stone is set to come out this spring. In the meantime, you can pick up the single on iTunes or pre-order the 7” single.

– Words by Nathan Leigh